Grapevine Facebook Built Catches Thief: Police

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Misdemeanor charges are pending against a 44-year-old Canton Township woman after the vast grapevine that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg built got involved in an alleged shoplifting spree at a pair of downtown Plymouth businesses.

Genuine Toy Co. and the Home Sweet Home boutique both reported thefts on Nov. 5. The toy store had surveillance video of the thefts, so the owners posted it on their Facebook page, where it was viewed thousands of times. Several people recognized her.

“Social media changes everything,” Elle Dare, who owns Genuine Toy Co. with her husband, Charles, told The Plymouth Observer. “Now, they really can’t outrun this, because the whole community gets involved.”

Plymouth Police Lt. Jamie Grabowski said the woman confessed and the merchandise has been returned to the stores.

Dare discovered the store had been hit after getting a merchant alert, a telephone-call chain system Plymouth merchants use to warn one another of potential crimes. After receiving a call about the Home Sweet Home theft, the store’s employees decided to review surveillance video, where they saw the woman allegedly stealing about $100 worth of merchandise in just under three minutes.

Grabowski said the incident should serve as a warning to others and a reminder that when they’re in public settings, they’re most likely being caught on camera.